I want to make some summer tank tops but I am not sure about what yarn would be best for hot summer days. Anyone have any suggestions on what is best ,50% Cotton, 50% Polyester ,54% Cotton, 46% Viscose ,53% Cotton, 47% Linen ,55% Cotton, 45% Acrylic ,100% Cotton . Just to many choices and I don't want to end up with a tank top that is to hot to wear. What makes the best "OMG, it's hot today" knitted tank top yarn?

I'd go with a linen/linen blend, no heavier than a sport weight, -or- believe it or not, a laceweight wool knit on larger needles. Wool knit up that way will wick away moisture and keep you quite cool and comfortable.

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

I'd recommend selecting a smallish range of fibers/fiber blends, and working up swatches of each to find the one you like best.

Enjoy finding the right fiber for you and knitting up the perfect summer top!

Yep, lighter weight yarn for one thing. A cotton/linen blend would be nice. Maybe even some bamboo, but blended with cotton maybe. I don't think the percentages are all that important when they vary slightly.

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Jan

When asking questions ALWAYS post the name and a link for the pattern if you have it.

I knit a cardi-tank twinset last April...with expectation to wear it through Spring-Summer. The yarn is a cotton/bamboo/linen blend. It worked out wonderful in our 75-90 degree Spring-Summer weather even as a set! On it's own, the tank would be very cool in 95 degree weather!

I did knit a summer sweater, tank top style, in angora and bamboo a couple of years back, it's very comfy in Texas during the summer. Also you could try a bamboo/silk or bamboo/cotton mix which breathes very well based on other tanks I've knitted.

I hope noone minds if I get in on this thread, but it touches on a couple of things I have been thinking about lately.

I too have been looking for cooler yarn substitutes. And this made me excited:

Quote:

-or- believe it or not, a laceweight wool knit on larger needles. Wool knit up that way will wick away moisture and keep you quite cool and comfortable.

as I happen to have some skeins of Malabrigo lace lying around.

I have started knitting swatches, but I am finding it difficult to get the right gauge - the swatches tend to come out very long and narrow, so when I meet my row gauge, I am low on stitches, but when I move up in needle size and meet my stitch count, my row count is way over. Any pointers for fixing this? Or will it even out some in blocking? (I am completely new to working with laceweight yarn).

Also, I wonder if substituting laceweight yarn would work for ribbing?

It's more important to get stitch gauge for most patterns. That will control the width of most projects. Since the length is often given in inches, the row gauge isn't critical. You can just knit to the given length. (Raglan decreases are one case where you do need to either be close on row gauge or do some math.)

I knit a cardi-tank twinset last April...with expectation to wear it through Spring-Summer. The yarn is a cotton/bamboo/linen blend. It worked out wonderful in our 75-90 degree Spring-Summer weather even as a set! On it's own, the tank would be very cool in 95 degree weather!

I'm a real fan of bamboo. It breathes so well.

Could you provide the name of said cotton/bamboo/linen blend? I love natural fiber, plant based yarns!